"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime" said Honore de Balzac. Do you believe this? Well, if we are just talking about millions worth of wealth then perhaps it is not a result of Godfather-like mafia activities. It's pretty common to earn that amount these days. But if we are talking about billions and trillions, would you believe this is all just a result of pure hard work and persistence?
I think the quote means something must have been done, sacrificed, or oppressed to acquire such unrealistic amount of fortune. How can one have so much? Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that people haven't earned their fortunes and privileges. In fact, I do believe that a great % of us have really earned what we have through hard work. There's just a small % of people in this world who have great fortunes anyway. A small % of those who can get away with things because of the power and influence they get due to their wealth. And truth be told, some of them have to break the law (tax evation, modern slavery, human exploitation, etc.) or take advantage of unethical laws in order to get to that criminially rich level.
I believe that money is not evil. Wealth is good. What is evil is what we become when we have too much (a.k.a. greed) and won't stop. And some people will do anything to have more at the expense of others. But what for?
I don't have a filthy rich background but I'm okay. I feel grateful. There are more people around me who are in worst situations. Now should I blame them? Let us not even get to the argument of freewill because our perspective is relative to our reality. For example, most people in the west think you are a product of your own choices. Or that if you work hard enough, you will get to the top. This can be true if you factor in good starting conditions and choices on hand. There's still a part of me that does not totally believe this so-called American Dream BS based on the reality I'm in. For example, there are people who have unfortunate starting conditions, lost their possessions to natural disasters and calamities, or have no access to free education, so social mobility will never be easy for them. This is one of the main reasons I don't buy that self-help values or motivational wealth talk shit. There are some things beyond our control. My Gawd, we can even die anytime and lose it all.
My friend asked me if I want to be super wealthy. I said that I want to work on having wealth to the point that I can move swiftly, do things freely and without worry. And most importantly, live the best of life. But I don't have to have too much because I can't really say if I will be the same person. I'm already diabolical now what more when I've become filthy rich. I wouldn't trust my darkness when I get to that level. But some people out there don't mind and that's on them.
If you've earned your wealth and privileges decently, then by all means, be damn proud of it. Go around and inspire people. I don't give a shit what you do with it actually. And if you feel like you haven't really earned things in your life, then I don't care either. Just don't bother me or come to me for validation. Or go around on your high horses shoving your 'ill-gotten' wealth into other people's faces. Or pity other people for their circumstances or obsess about poverty porn during your holiday just to make you feel safe. I know this type very well by now. Just have a bit of humility in there at least. Why still go to great lengths for validation?
Your beliefs and social conditioning might hinder you from seeing the root cause of things. So we can't go around blaming other people for their circumstances. And for sure, we shouldn't look down on them or anything. Or thrive off their unfortunate situations just to make ourselves feel grateful and safe. As I see it, most of the privileged and wealthy people I've gotten to know feel poor inside anyway. We choose our own cage.
I don't condemn money or wealth. I do feel inspired if others have become successful or have earned everything they have through decent hard work. And I have high respects for these people. Most of the privileged and wealthy friends I know in real life are mostly humble. And I do think that their good values helped in getting where they are right now. Being a good human being does help.
